Speaking ahead of France’s friendly against Scotland, Didier Deschamps has criticised the state of the pitch of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Five Rugby World Cup matches have been hosted in Lille, the last coming only on Sunday.
Whilst France play many of their home matches at the Stade de France, Les Bleus will take on Scotland at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on Tuesday night. The stadium, like many in France, has also been used during he ongoing Rugby World Cup, hosting five matches in total.
The tournament has had an impact on the pitch, and that hasn’t gone unseen. Captain Kylian Mbappé (24) was seen grimacing when he saw the condition of the pitch earlier this week. Speaking in a pre-match press conference, transcribed by Get French Football News, Deschamps was also critical of the state of the surface.
“It’s magnificent!” responded Deschamps sarcastically. He added, “Even if the gardeners do their best, we can’t say we have a very good pitch. It is a pitch that has suffered.”
The pitch of the Stade Peirre-Mauroy isn’t the only one to be damaged by the ongoing rugby tournament. OGC Nice’s pitch came in for heavy criticism from manager Francesco Farioli, however, the pitch has now been completely relaid ahead of this weekend’s match against Olympique de Marseille.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
